Keilim, Chapter 11, Mishnah 8. This chapter deals with kelim made of metal and the conditions under which they are susceptible to tum'ah. Our mishnah applies those rules to two very different worlds: the equipment of the soldier on the battlefield, and the jewelry worn by women.
The helmet and its cheek pieces
The mishnah begins with the metal helmet worn in war. "Hakasda teme'ah": the helmet can become tamei, because it is a keli with an identity of its own, a recognized item with its own name.
"Vehalechayayim tehorim": the cheek pieces attached to the helmet, the metal flaps that shield the soldier's cheeks, are tahor. They have no independent identity. They are never worn on their own, only as part of the helmet, and a person could not use them by themselves at all. Since they are entirely subservient to the helmet, they are not counted as kelim in their own right and cannot receive tum'ah separately.
"Im yesh bahen beit kibul mayim, teme'im": if those cheek pieces are shaped so that they can hold water, they do become susceptible to tum'ah. On the battlefield soldiers would sometimes use them to drink from. Here we learn an important principle: even an object that has no independent name, that is defined only as a part of another keli, becomes a keli in its own right once it has a receptacle. The Chachamim teach that a container turns it into its own utensil, and from then on it can become tamei by itself.
The rest of the soldier's equipment
"Kol kelei hamilchamah teme'im": all the implements of war are susceptible to tum'ah. The mishnah lists them.
- "Hachidon": a lance of the kind borne by monarchs and army officers. It can become tamei.
- "Hanikon": the point of the spear, the honed metal head that is mounted onto the wooden shaft.
- "Vehamagafayim": protective coverings of metal for the legs.
- "Vehashiryon": body armor built out of metal rings linked one into another, worn so that a sword blade should not reach the flesh.
All of these are teme'im. They are metal, and each one is a recognized item with a name of its own, so each is a keli that can receive tum'ah.
Ornaments are also kelim
It is not only objects that perform a practical function that can become tamei. Items that are purely decorative are equally susceptible. "Kol tachshitei nashim teme'im": all types of women's jewelry can become tamei. The mishnah gives examples:
- "Ir shel zahav": literally a golden city, an ornament formed in the shape of Yerushalayim. It comes up frequently in the halachot of Shabbat.
- "Katlaot": close-fitting necklaces that rest against the throat.
- "Nezamim": rings worn in the ear.
- "Vetaba'ot": rings worn on the fingers.
Every one of these is subject to tum'ah. Concerning the ring the mishnah adds a detail: it makes no difference "bein sheyesh lah chotam", whether the ring bears a signet, "uvein she'ein lah chotam", or whether it has none. A chotam is lettering engraved on the ring's face, pressed into wax or clay to function as a person's signature. With signet or without, the object is a ring of metal, and a ring of metal is a keli that can receive tum'ah.
"Nizmei ha'af": a nose ring as well can become tamei.
A choker that came apart
The mishnah now takes up a necklace that came undone. "Katlah shechulyoteha shel matachot": a choker whose links are made of metal, threaded onto a string of flax or of wool. "Nifsak hachut": the string has torn. In that case "hachulyot teme'ot", the metal links remain subject to tum'ah, "shekol achat ve'achat keli bifnei atzmah", since every single link stands as a utensil on its own: it can be strung onto a different necklace and used there. Each link, then, is independently susceptible.
The reverse case: "Chut shel matachot vechulyot shel avanim tovot umargaliyot ushel zechuchit": a choker whose cord is of metal, with beads of precious stones, of pearls or of glass. Those beads by themselves are not subject to tum'ah at all. Stones of this kind never receive tum'ah, and glass does not receive tum'ah unless it forms a receptacle. Nevertheless, once they are strung on the metal cord they can become tamei, because they are now part of the whole choker, and the choker as a single item is susceptible.
The mishnah continues: "Nishtabru hachulyot", the stones and pearls have broken off, "vehachut bifnei atzmo kayam", while the metal strand remains whole on its own. The ruling is "tamei". The strand is metal, and stripped of its stones it still counts as a keli standing by itself, for it can serve as a necklace in its own right.
What is left of the choker
The last case is a metal strand threaded with gems, pearls and glass, where the strand has torn but a number of links are still on it, leaving a necklace shorter than the original. "Shiyarei katlah": what survives of the broken choker remains subject to tum'ah, "kimlo tzavar ketanah", provided that it is long enough to go around a small girl's throat. It has not ceased to be a choker; it is simply a smaller one.
"Rabbi Eliezer omer, afilu taba'at achat, teme'ah": according to Rabbi Eliezer, even a single remaining link is susceptible, "shekein tolin batzavar", for it was common to suspend one lone link around the throat. It made for a pleasing look, and a woman would readily wear a necklace holding just one stone. For Rabbi Eliezer, therefore, once even one link of the choker still carries its stone, the object can be worn, it qualifies as an ornament, and tum'ah can take hold of it.